Massive crane hoists wrecked freight truck from Highway 58 canyon near Salt Creek tunnel

By DOUG BATES/Editor/The Herald — Workers used a gigantic crane Wednesday, July 7, to lift a wrecked semi-truck and trailer from a steep and dangerous canyon on Highway 58 east of Oakridge.

The operation completely closed the busy route for about 10 hours, beginning at 4 a.m. Wednesday. Traffic was scheduled to be moving again by 2 p.m. but the Oregon Department of Transportation advised motorists that only one lane will be open for the next two weeks as crews repair damage caused by the deadly June 27 accident.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the Freightliner semi-truck, operated by Joe Wright, 57, of Silverton, was eastbound when it left the roadway and went down an embankment. Wright was killed in the accident, the Oregon State Police said.

The wreckage and tons of spilled cargo was removed from the forest canyon about 200 feet below the straight stretch near Milepost 55.5 where the truck left the highway near the tunnel at Salt Creek Falls. The slope is steep and fragile, and boulders fell as crews unloaded the truck’s cargo last week. Crews needed daylight to safely work around the truck.

Emergency services have been staging equipment at the scene in case of any wildfire emergency.

During Wednesday’s complete closure of the highway, traffic was halted at Oakridge to the west of the accident site and at Milepost 73 to the east of the site.

More photos and videos of the dramatic operation are provided by the Oregon Department of Transportation at this Dropbox link.

Angela Beers Seydel, public information officer for ODOT, said the slope needs to be stabilized, the shoulder repaved and the guardrail replaced. Travelers should expect delays. The road will be single lane with flaggers for the next two weeks.